We gave Bond actor Daniel Craig a pass when he turned down the free Aston Martin of his choice as a perk for his silver screen Aston pimping. After all, London is one of the least driver-friendly city in the developed world, and as Craig put it “I live in London and it doesn’t make sense to drive an Aston Martin there. I’ve nowhere to park it.” And we bought his line, citing our own Adrian Imonti’s maxim that “driving in London just for fun is as sensible as rollerblading on the autobahn.” But, while we were defending Craig from the editorial assault of no less an authority than Pistonheads, 007 apparently went off the reservation and placed an order for a new Lotus Evora (while Aston burns). According to eGMCartech, Daniel Craig has joined half the celebrities on earth who are getting in line for the mid-engined 2+2. Other takers? London Mayor (and congestion charge slayer) Boris Johnson, Top Gear UK presenters Richard Hammond and James May, Craig;s Bond predecessor Pierce Brosnan, Jay Leno, Jamiroquai’s Jay Kay, supermodel Jodie Kidd, Beyoncé Knowles, Dave Grőhl, Kelly Rowland, George Clooney, Kevin Spacey, Patrick Dempsey and J-Lo. So this is clearly the “it” car of 2009, and apparently parking in London isn’t as big a deal as we thought. But wouldn’t you rather have an Aston for free?

Just got back from London. Inside zone 1, the traffic proceeds at less than walking pace. The only way to get around that is faster than walking is the tube (subway to you yanks). OTOH, I’ll bet Mr. Craig, who bears a strong resemblance to Russian strong man Vladimir Putin, can afford a weekend place in the country now.